2024 News and Events

Spring 2024

On Monday, April 1, Prof. Christoph Strobel will give a talk on Native American history for the Medieval & Renaissance Studies program: "The Indigenous Old World: An Exploration of Ancient and Medieval North America." The talk will explore the worlds of the Indigenous peoples of North America before European colonization. It will focus on subjects such as the Indigenous peoples' cities, architectural traditions, methods of agriculture, and how they managed their environment. The lecture will be given in Dugan Hall 208 from 4-5 p.m. For any questions, please contact Prof. Andrew Drenas by email at: Andrew_Drenas@uml.edu.

On Thursday, March 14, Johanna Hanink (Brown University) gave this year's Zamanakos Lecture: “Athens in America: Ancient Greece and the Making of the New Nation.” It considered early America's fascination with ancient Greek architecture, art, and culture - the "Greek Revival" - and its enduring significance, in the context of both the recent bicentennial (in 2021) of the Greek Revolution and the upcoming commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. The lecture took place in Coburn Hall 255 at 6 p.m.; a reception followed.

In commemoration of Black History Month, the History Department co-sponsored "Black History on Stage: Blending the Past with the Present." This performance on February 29 included a one-woman show presenting a range of historic figures, with a second artist acting as liaison to the audience. These guest speakers were Brandi LaShay and Krasel Morales. Performance times were 12:30-1:30 p.m. and 6-7 p.m. at the Comley-Lane Theatre. Between performances, there was a talk-back with the actors, which took place at the Allen House Gallery from 4-5 p.m. 

On Monday, January 29, as part of their "Curious Kids" series, The Conversation published an article that Prof. Jane Sancinito wrote about the long history of the alphabet, and how the ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans all contributed to its evolution. One can read Prof. Sancinito's article on the history of the alphabet online.

On January 4, "The Conversation" published an article written by Prof. Abby Chandler about two Rhode Island colonists, Martin Howard and Stephen Hopkins, contemporaries who lived during the American Revolution. Prof. Chandler considers how both men, despite their similarities, came to very different conclusions about how to align themselves during the conflict. Their individual approaches to the issues of the time shed light on the decisions thousands of British colonists had to make before the American Revolution. One can read Prof. Chandler's article on Martin Howard and Stephen Hopkins online.